Rio 2016 opens Olympic volunteer center

The first training center for Rio's 2016 Olympic volunteer program has opened, organizers said on Thursday.

The facility in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood is one of four permanent training centers due to open before the Games, according to a statement on the Rio2016.com website.

Rio's city center, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte will also boast training venues.

"We want our candidates to learn new things, to have the opportunity to have a unique experience and to be able to share with other people the experience of having worked on the world's largest sports event," said Flavia Fontes, Rio 2016's head of volunteers.

"The goal of the center is to train volunteers so that they perform focused and efficient work."

All four permanent training centers will be on campuses of Estacio University, an official supporter of the Rio Games.

The training schedule will include interviews, group discussions and role-play activities. The local organizing committee said 70,000 volunteers would be selected from 242,000 applicants. Endite